A Zero Waste Week on The Non-Consumer Advocate!

by Katy on April 12, 2013 · 59 comments

Zero Waste Home

Would you be interested in participating in a Non-Consumer Advocate Zero Waste Week? I am very inspired and intrigued by Bea Johnson’s Zero Waste lifestyle, but am hesitant to make a full commitment. I guess my qualm is that I’m pretty sure it would cost my family more money. I know that Bea Johnson says her family crunched the numbers and that they’re saving money, but her before would be very different from my before. (I am muy excelente at saving money on groceries, and yes that does include some packaged food!)

Just last night I was driving my fifteen-year-old son home from soccer practice, and I wanted to get him a treat. The poor kid had spent all day sitting in school, an hour at the library for private Japanese tutoring and then two hours at soccer practice. And to top it all off, dinner had been Caesar salad, which I  know would not be enough to sate his ravenous appetite. My first inclination was to drive him through Dairy Queen for a Blizzard, but then I started to think about the garbage that would create. So instead we headed home and I whipped up a batch of waffles from scratch. Flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, butter and milk. Ingredients we already owned, with almost completely recyclable packaging.

Was there any complaint? Hell, no!

Challenges I can already see would be the Luna bars and Greek yogurt my husband takes with his work lunches. (He really didn’t like my homemade yogurt, although I could strain it for a less runny consistency.) Perhaps I could bribe him with promises of  microbrew growlers from The Hawthorne Hophouse . . .

I suppose I already have the answer to this question as there are currently 479 entries to win one of five copies of Johnson’s Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste , which is a record number for this blog!

If you’re interested in participating in a Zero Waste Week, please write your name in the comments section below. We will be begin on Monday, April 15th.

And please, someone help me break the news to my husband, who already feels like his home life is already just one large blog experiment.

Lucky guy.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Non-Consumer Photo Essay — Banks, Banks & More Banks!

by Katy on April 11, 2013 · 12 comments

It’s time again for another Non-Consumer Photo Essay, where like Being John Malkovich, you get to see what I see.

Like this antique mirror, which recently enjoyed a golf-leaf pen makeover. (Like a spa treatment for crappy old mirrors!)

Gold leaf mirror

Remember these targeted savings banks?

Collage-of-banks

Well, they are never-freaking-ending! And apparently they’re a very easy donation decision because almost every Goodwill I walk into has one or two. I do love the new addition to the retirement fund posse, although it’s probably a good idea to start saving for retirement before you lose all your hair.

Poor guy, he looks like he’s fallen on hard times, as evidenced by the poorly sewn patch on his jacket.

Savings Banks

I am really craving a bigger and more interesting chandelier for my dining room, and I keep going back to this painted goodie from Little Green Notebook. The Portland Habitat ReStore has moved locations, which is good for them but crappy for me, as it’s no longer anywhere near my loop of errands.

However, I may have to make an exception to my batch my errands rule.

Little Green Notebook

Not a lot of photos today for my photo essay. I guess I need to get out of the house more often.

Click HERE to read more Non-Consumer Photo Essays.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Frozen Wasteland of Doom — Confessions From a Delayed Food Waster

by Katy on April 10, 2013 · 54 comments

As the Non-Consumer Advocate I write a lot about food waste. (Heck I’m even in Jonathan Bloom’s American Wasteland book!) But sadly, I’m also a shameful and closeted food waster. Well maybe not technically a food waster, more of a delayed food waster.

What is a “delayed food waster?”

Someone who refuses to admit that her bread heels, brown bananas and turkey giblets from nineteen-ought-ninety eight are unfit for consumption, so she bags them up and puts them in the freezer.

Forever.

Which means that there’s so much food stuff of unknown origin in her freezer that she’s unable to find what she’s looking for which leads to . . . wait for it . . .

More food waste!

However, I am nothing if not willing to admit my imperfections. And since I’m a big ol’ fan of the clean slate, last night I grabbed a library audio book and got to work. It was was unpleasant task, both olfactor-ily and mentally. (Those clearance priced fish fillets from three years ago had not improved in their frozen environment.)

Luckily, Portland’s curbside composting program accepts fish, bones, and all things edible, which somewhat salved the pain. I put a lot of freezer burned bread ends and iced up edamame into that compost bin. I thought about recording everything I dumped, but instead chose efficiency over transparency.

Here are two photos of what I pulled out of the freezer and composted. (Why two photos? Because there was too much to put onto a single kitchen counter!)

Exhibit #1

Food waste

Exhibit #2

Food waste 2

But here’s the freezer now. A fresh slate, ready for a life of useful and organized frozen food storage:

Freezer

And here’s my kitchen island again. Free from its burden of frozen food waste:

Kitchen counter

My plan from here on out is to be very deliberate about what is allowed into the freezer. I’m actually really good at staying organized once I set up a system, so I have confidence with this goal.

And most importantly, I realize that I need to work breadcrumbs into more family meals.

Sigh . . .

Is your freezer a frozen wasteland of doom? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Today I Am . . .

by Katy on April 9, 2013 · 39 comments

Marimekko

Today I am . . . 

  • Still in my pajamas.
  • Hanging my thrifted Marimekko duvet cover on the clothesline in an attempt to air out the Goodwill disinfectant smell. (I’ve washed it twice so far!)
  • Enjoying that a new Mad Men character is played by James “Jimmy” Wolk. (No relation, but it’s an uncommon name all the same.)
  • Exhausted from working yesterday, and wondering what it would be like to have a job that’s not physically demanding. (The answer is “probably boring.”)
  • Mentally exploring blog posts about couponing and why I always reinvent the wheel.
  • Feeling guilty about unredeemed personalized coupon gifts I’ve given my mother over the past few years.
  • Pleased with the $260 I made from re-sellling Goodwill finds last week.
  • Reading library books (“Flea Market Style” and “The Lost Art of Mixing”) and listening to a library audio book  (“Gone Girl.”)
  • Needing another caffeinated beverage to brave the day.

Now you. What have you been doing?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste — A Giveaway!

by Katy on April 7, 2013 · 503 comments

 

Note — This giveaway has ended. Thank you to everyone who submitted their terrific Zero Waste ideas!

Zero Waste Home

I have a very special treat for you today, which is a giveaway for FIVE, count ‘em five copies of Bea Johnson’s book  Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste. (You may remember Bea Johnson as the woman behind the Zero Waste Home blog.)

I was mailed my review copy on Friday, and I’ve been reading it non-stop ever since. (so yes, it’s fantastic!) The book is chock full of all kinds of ideas I’ve never thought of, such as bringing your own container to Baskin & Robbins for ice cream!

Zero Waste ice cream? Yes, please!

To enter to win one of five copies of  Zero Waste Home, simply write something in the comments section describing one thing you do to reduce waste in your home.

Giveaway ends Friday, April 12th at 9 P.M. PST. Please enter one time only.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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New Game Show — Goodwill Guesses

by Katy on April 5, 2013 · 30 comments

I have a new game show here on The Non-Consumer Advocate called Goodwill Guesses. The object of the game is to guess whether I bought or didn’t buy particular Goodwill items.

Let’s start!

Contestant #1 is an original art print for the low, low price of $2.99. It’s signed by the artist and is numbered 40/500.

Art print

Heres a detail shot so you can fully appreciate the artistic aesthetic:

Art detail

Sooo . . . Did I buy it?

Sadly no, as it didn’t really fit in with my current decor style. Plus I feel it would look better in a dentist’s office than a private home.

Let’s bring on contestant #2!

She’s a mini muscle massager that’s only slightly used.

Personal massager

Sooo . . . did I buy it?

Also no. Just no. No.

Contestant #3 is this beaut. Not the fake plant, not the glass inset coffee table, we’re talking about the antique blue dresser. She’s $30 and sturdy as can be.

Blue dresser

Sooo . . . did I buy her?

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! Not only did I fork over the $30 for the dresser, but thanks to Craigslist she found a new home in under 24 hours. And my son’s college account is $50 richer from the transaction.

Contestant #4 is a special guy, kind of a trickster. He’s been known for pranks that end badly, but could still be a great addition to your carefully curated home. (Although you might want to follow Reverend Pat Robertson’s advice and say a prayer over him.)

Devil

Sooo . . . Did I bring him home?

You may be thinking “Of course Katy brought home this special object d’art,” but you would be wrong. I’m not really into the color grey.

Contestant #5 is another piece of art, and although it too features nudity like contestant #1, it’s somehow just a wee bit classier.

Maxfield Parrish print

The glare makes it hard to see the detail, so here’s a second photo:

Maxfield Parrish -- Daybreak

This was a hard one, but YES I did buy the 1922 Maxfield Parrish Daybreak print in original frame. And then I sold it to blog reader Renée. More money for my son’s college account!

(Here’s a helpful financial tip for all you parents out there. Don’t wait until your kids are 17-years-old to start their college accounts!)

Contestant #6 is a Geisha with attitude. Although most geisha souvenir figures have a serene, non-violent quality, this lady is looking for any excuse to kick your sorry ass! Her stance and hand formation tell you that she more than happy to squash any misconceptions you may have about geishas.

Kick-ass Geisha

Here’s another picture of her from a different angle:

Geisha Laurence Fishburne

Sooo . . .  did I buy her? Of course not! I have enough in my life to inspire nightmares, arigatou gozaimasu!

So, how’d you do? Were you able to accurately guess which Goodwill treasures came home with me? And don’t feel too badly if you got many of the questions wrong, this game show was insanely difficult.

Well, insane is right.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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The Non-Consumer Advocate is Back!

by Katy on April 4, 2013 · 39 comments

This has been a frustrating and annoying week for me as a blogger. Why? Because The Non-Consumer Advocate got hacked by someone in Istanbul on Monday, and it was a ginormous pain in the tuchus to get it back. Not to mention that I had to pay $89.99 to a service to take care of things for me!

It was difficult to not spend the week in a foul mood, so I made a conscious effort to engage in activities that make me happy, such as:

  • I put vases of fresh flowers around the house. (From the garden of course!)
  • I prepped dinner while the kids were in school, which made the evening hours less stressful. (I’m always in a good mood when I know I don’t have to make dinner.)
  • I made extra trips to Goodwill.
  • I sold stuff on Craigslist. (Crap out of the house, money in!)
  • I tried to be extra accomplished, as it would counterbalance the this is completely out of my control aspect to the hacking.

And now? The blog is back, more secure than ever and I am floating on air.

So happy that I even put together a short video to share my feelings:

Is that clear enough? :-D

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Delicious Bottled Goodwill Food!

by Katy on April 1, 2013 · 35 comments

You all know that I love Goodwill, and you also know that I hate food waste. So why not combine my two loves and find a way to incorporate Goodwill food into my family’s repertoire?

Sure, the contents are of uncertain origin and age, but they’re in bottles, so they should be safe. Right?

Here’s a big bottle of peppers, I can see incorporating them into burritos or huevos rancheros.

¡Delicioso!

Peppers

This bottle is layered with beans and two types of peppers. Maybe chili?

Star food

This curvy gal is filled to the rim with citrus garlic and peppers. A scrumptious addition to quinoa.

Bottled food

This dynamic duo is fruit based, so oatmeal would be the perfect pairing. Sure the liquid is murky, but that’s just extra yumminess! See how the apples have settled to the bottom? Mmm . . .  mmm . . . good!

Apples?

Sometimes it’s easy to tell what goodies are held within the bottle, but oftentimes it’s a super fun mystery!

Is it mango? Is it chicken?

See? So fun!

??

If you too are a fan of deliciously mysterious bottled food, then please add your recipe ideas to the comments section below.

And make sure to get those comments in before April 1st is over. ;-)

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Stuff, Happiness and Life at Home in The Twenty-First Century

by Katy on March 31, 2013 · 22 comments

I am currently reading Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors, which is a fascinating anthropological study of middle-class families in the Los Angeles area. This single book could easily inspire a dozen distinct and varied blog posts from me, but today I focus on this one quote:

Most Possessions per Family in Global History

“For more than 40,000 years, intellectually modern humans have peopled the planet, but never before has any society accumulated so many personal possessions. U.S. households spend on average tens of thousands of dollars every year on new purchases. A substantial portions of these expenditures goes towards replacement goos such as trendy apparel and the latest media electronics, not to mention the newest model of cars. Many of these objects replace perfectly good antecedents that homeowners may only reluctantly part with, The result is typically clutter amassing in “back stage” storage areas such as garages, closets, and attics, eventually extending to “front stage” living spaces.”

Yesterday my mother and I took my two teenage sons to two different Goodwill thrift shops. There was nothing we really needed, and each of the four of us made a single purchase, which I thought was very telling.

  • My mother bought four drinking glasses to replace missing/broken glasses in her rental cottages. ($3.96)
  • I bought a large framed vintage Maxfield Parrish print that I will display in my spare bedroom. ($14.99)
  • My younger son bought a pair of Nike Free Runs that normally cost $90. ($4.99)
  • My older son bought an Italian merino wool turtleneck sweater. ($6.99)

None of these purchases were technically necessary, however each was deliberate. My older son is very particular about his clothing, my younger son is obsessed with shoes and I always keep an eye out for underpriced home decor.

Are we typical American consumers?

Yes. No. Absolutely not. Most likely. More than we care to admit. Kind of yes. Kind of no.

Our thrift store purchases did give us that endorphin rush that comes with finding that perfect thing to add to our house full of stuff. But they will not push our home into the realm of cluttery chaos.

Although I often write about minimalism, I am not a minimalist. I like to think that I inhabit the grey area of just right along with Miss Goldilocks. (Of course, what one day can seem just right can teeter over to too much the next.)

Which is why it’s called a grey area.

I’ll keep reading the book, and hopefully find inspiration for that sweet spot between a cluttered home and one that echoes.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Today I Am . . .

by Katy on March 28, 2013 · 40 comments

Jonathan-Adler-owl-lamp

Today I am . . . 

  • Super sleepy from staying up too late watching the second season of Downton Abbey. Cable is offering a bunch of different paid programming for free this week. Included? Downton Abbey!
  • Speaking in a dreadful British accent and talking about how I have to go “to hospital” tomorrow. I am unable (and unwilling) to stop myself.
  • Admiring my freshly shampooed couch, which is suddenly and miraculously less dingy. Buying a rug shampooer through Craigslist last year was an excellent purchase.
  • Feeling bad about how spring break is more than halfway over, yet we’ve done nothing interesting or special. Perhaps we’ll go to the beach this weekend.
  • Digesting Easter candy, Must go buy more. I cannot be trusted.
  • Lending my rug shampooer to my step-mother who brought home a free couch that needs a bit of spiffing up.
  • Drooling over the Jonathan Adler Happy Chic collection at JCPenny and wondering how soon until it starts to hit Goodwill.
  • Proud of my employed sons. My older son recertified his lifeguard training over the weekend in order to work this summer, and today my younger son will work his second shift of the week at the art supply store.
  • Making The Frugal Girl’s yogurt from a buy-it-now-it’s-soon-to-expire gallon of organic milk.
  • Wishing I had a full complement of household staff to cook my meals, clean my house and attend to the estate. Perhaps Downton Abbey has set up an unrealistic expectation for me.

Now you. What are you doing today?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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